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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. content — the amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. ground — crushed
  5. club — for golf
  6. content — happy
  7. pop — soda
  8. bound — certain
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. ground — the earth
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. pop — music
  14. bound — obliged
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — to visit
  17. ground — a position
  18. degree — from a university
  19. club — for dancing
  20. bound — tied together
  21. degree — an amount
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. club — a group

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com